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Marvel Characters Venom Can Feature (Besides Spider-Man)

Whether Venom is or isn't in the MCU is still a big question-mark over Tom Hardy's upcoming superhero film, but even if it's not in a world of Asgardians and super soldiers, the spin-off can still feature some famous Spider-Man characters.

Rumors continue to swirl that Tom Holland might make a cameo of some sort as the famous New York-based web-slinger - or his schoolboy alter ego - but there's been nothing concrete in that regard yet. Indeed, the friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man popping up in an R-rated vigilante flick might be a little tonally dissonant. Plus, in the current MCU canon, Spidey isn't feeling so good. For now, that's up in the air.

Still, there are a lot of Spider-Man characters available for Sony to integrate into their Venom film, and the Ruben Fleischer-directed anti-hero thriller will surely have many opportunities to shine a spotlight on some fan-favorite Marvel faces, or even position further characters to springboard into their own movies. Sony is, after all, hoping Venom will start their own Spider-villain shared universe, with multiple projects in development; with the first set to be a hit, it would fit from the studio behind The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

With that said, what Marvel characters would be tonally appropriate for the highly-anticipated dark and gritty take on this particular corner of the Spider-Man mythos?

Carnage

Even after the release of two trailers for the film, the plot of Venom is still mostly a mystery. In recent months, much has been made of rumors that Woody Harrelson might be playing Cletus Kasady aka Carnage in a small role which will be further developed in a prospective sequel. In the comics, Kasady is a serial killer who bonds with a Symbiote, much like how Eddie Brock bonds with one of the alien creatures. Unlike Brock, however, Kasady has no sense of morality and is an unrepentant murderer, a shameless evildoer with no redeeming qualities. For lack of a better word, Carnage is a monster; he's also one of the most popular Spider-Man villains.

If the reports are true, then Venom is taking a bold move by not making full use of Carnage straight away. After all, a showdown between the two would be the obvious story for an all-in Venom movie, and holding back as a sequel tease risks Harrelson's part never being resolved.

Then again, perhaps Carnage will have the opportunity to shine in the Venom film, emerging as an unexpected third-act foe, like Harvey "Two-Face" Dent in The Dark Knight. Whatever the case, it's expected for Carnage, in one form or another, will have a part to play in Venom.

Silver & Black and Other Sony Spin-Offs

While Venom's status in the MCU is still unclear, with its eventual quality possibly dictating how it relates to the main Spider-Man canon, that doesn't mean it isn't already part of another shared universe. While expecting Nick Fury to recruit Eddie Brock is foolhardy, there are other characters who could appear. In addition to Venom, Sony is currently developing multiple other spin-off films, including Silver & Black and Morbius (although the former was recently undated). A film based on Kraven the Hunter has also long been rumored, and is possibly the reason the character was unable to appear in Black Panther.

Of course, Sony would be wise to avoid over-stuffing Venom with teasers for what's next, instead integrating the characters in the story. Given that there's no casting for any of these yet, it would have to be a cameo, but in a secrecy-heavy era of moviemaking, that's always possible. If director Reuben Fleischer can find a clever way to introduce those characters without reducing Venom's ownership over the film which bears his name, then maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea.